Saturday, March 17, 2007

New Platform

I was invited to move my blog over to the local newspapers' site to become part of the Parenting Blogs.

I hope you will join me.

AustinBenConnor
(click above to be re-routed)

Friday, March 16, 2007

Happy Birthday

A big Happy Birthday to my baby sisters Sharon & Barbara.

18 and legal...watch out world!


Sharon & Barbara- age 6, 1st grade

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Moving

Please stay tuned...I will be switching to a new platform over the next few days. Details to follow. Any questions...email me.

Monday, March 12, 2007

On Hiatus

I am sick. I am on hiatus. Maybe tomorrow I will find the energy to write.

Plus my stepdad is in the hospital with pneumonia. He's getting better.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Cold, Cold and More Cold

It is cold here and I mean COLD. This is not March weather....I am not sure this is even NY weather. I feel like I am in Northern Canada. Not that I have ever been to Northern Canada, but I imagine this is what it's like. The wind chills are hovering at about 20-30 below 0. This is not fun! I can only imagine my heating bill next month...much less gas for my truck. Someone tell me how the price at the tanks can rise 3 TIMES in one day.

Anyway, I met with the CPSE board for Austin yesterday. They feel additional services are not necessary right now. The lowest marks he received on his Speech and Psych tests were in adaptive behaviors (self help) skills. Toileting and dressing were holding him way back. In the month since we have had those tests, he is nearly day potty trained (YIPPEE!) and more willing to dress himself. I was truly beginning to think that he would go to kindergarten in a pull up. So the board felt that the OT can just add some self help skills to her therapy for now. I am content with that. We did also talk about attention issues. I still feel this all ties into his night time awakenings. I am going to look into having a sleep study done for him. The parent rep for the board mentioned there is a Professor at the local college studying kids, but when I called I was told the child has to have an Autism Spectrum Disorder to qualify. Oh well, at least we have a sleep center locally. Austin's ped is going to do some research also.

I am still working on scheduling an ERG for Austin. As I had said, Boston can't fit him onto their schedule until October. At that point it'll have been 17 months since the previous test. A LOT can happen to his vision in 18 months. I spoke with someone at the TS Alliance who got me information about Sick Children's in Toronto. As much as I want to see Niagara Falls, I don't want the hassle of an 8+ hour trip to Canada. Then I looked into Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. CHOP is only 4.5 hours away. They can fit him into the schedule in 2-3 months. Finally, someone in my IS Support group mentioned Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in NYC. They can fit him into the schedule in early APRIL! They pulled the tech out of a procedure to talk to me. She is going to call me back later with a firm date.

The relief is palpable! Now I can go back to my cubicle and huddle in front of my heater for warmth.

Monday, March 05, 2007

To Be a Kid Again

Mema and Bepa took Austin out to play in the snow. It was one of those days that it wasn't too frigid...meaning temps near 30 and little wind...unlike today, and tomorrow and Wednesday and Thursday. I WANT SPRING!



Snow Angels

With his snowman, er, snow bear, or cat...maybe it's a dog.

What is with the ears??